- Online Spaces for Individual & Societal Healing -
Empathic Group Conversation Across Differences & Divides
Facilitated by John Kinyon
Upcoming Events:
August Dates:
These online spaces for individual and societal healing through conflict are open to the public and held on different days and times of the month. You can also contact us to request private facilitation for your group or organization.
These online spaces support individuals to experience inner reconciliation, healing, and peace through group conversation and collective sharing on polarizing social-political issues and topics. John co-developed the process in 2019, and since then he has continued to offer and evolve it. It is designed to help people experience within themselves the bridging of interpersonal differences and social divides through an empathic conversation structure.
Even in times of great division, we can empathically listen and authentically express in a way that creates understanding and connection. This is an opportunity for healing collective and generational divides.
By attending these group conversations you can experience a deep healing connection within yourself, and you can take the learning, skills, and structure back to relationships and conversations in your own life.
The process uses an empathic conversation structure of taking turns speaking and listening with a focus on understanding where we disagree and connecting to what we share in common — our emotions and our universal needs and values. Cooperation, collaboration, and new creative solutions emerge from this way of being together. The process is rooted in the Mediate Your Life 3Chair Model for relating to conflict from perspectives and levels of empathic awareness (dual and nondual).
These conversation spaces are also "brave spaces." Those who participate are invited and encouraged to share their true beliefs and perspectives, which may be triggering for others present. So, these are spaces that can require courage to both speak one's truth and to hear the truth of others — as uncomfortable and challenging as this may be.
The conversations give the opportunity to talk about the most vital, urgent, and important societal conflicts and challenges we are facing, in a spirit of empathy, honesty, compassion, and collaboration. The intention is to experience holding our differences from an awareness of our underlying commonalities and larger unity and wholeness as human beings and one life of the planet.
It is a place to build empathic community and connections with others, as well as practice skills for navigating and transforming conflict into new life-serving possibilities.
People who attend report having powerful, moving, deeply connecting, and even transformational experiences.
Being able to effectively communicate about and heal our individual and collective divides is key to maintaining, strengthening, and evolving democracy.
What makes social-political issues and topics so difficult is having very different realities about what's going on. When we learn how to have these conversations in a connecting and healing way, we create more of the world we know is possible. A world with less violence and more connection — where we work together to solve the challenges we face.
All are invited to participate, and you are also welcome to just listen and witness without speaking if you choose. Please invite anyone in your community who you think might be interested.
All are welcome to attend for free, and there is a donation button below if you'd like to financially contribute to this work. Receiving financial support is needed to continue offering this work to the world. If you or someone you know is connected with possible sources of funding, please email us at john@johnkinyon.com.
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